A Letter from Labaatan | January 2023
A note from us to ring in the new year.
by bsides
Dear Reader,
Congratulations on arriving in 2023. I’m proud of you for making it this far. I know that time rushes on it and the drums of late-stage capitalism beat anxiously in your ear. The pressures of never doing enough, never achieving enough, never even just being enough surges around you like an unrelenting current forcing you forward. But what is “forward?” You are here and now. You are exactly where you are meant to be. Within you, are all the tools you may require. You are already enough. Fuck New Years’ resolutions. As for the here and now, and our intentions for moving forward, let compassion become your constant companion. Whether done unto yourself, or others, release judgment. Growth is not linear, and true change comes very very slowly. It takes dedication and patience to see a path through, and ultimately, you might have to start over many times. To punish yourself for losing track of a goal or consistency of a habit creates a barrier that can further prevent you from regaining your footing. Instead, know that you are only human and that there is beauty and freedom in the ability to start again as many times as you please. I know that you are doing the best you can.
The first Full Moon of 2023 falls in the sign of Cancer. Cancer reminds us of the loyalty, dedication, and willingness we have to protect those we love. This energy emphasizes the open, sensitive heart, which is also something to be safeguarded. Extend that fierce love to yourself; you are someone precious and you deserve to be treated that way. The Full Moon in Cancer provides an opportunity to reflect on what we truly care about. What motivates you? What decisions do you have to make in order to live as the best version of yourself?
While the excitement of the calendar year creates an urgent need for transformation, Mercury and Mars remain in retrograde. Their retrograde energy forces us to move slowly. Your path may feel unclear, or like you’re walking in circles. Release your desire to have all the answers, and honor vulnerabilities that come up during this time. Growth is always inherently within you, as it is for all living things. Change is uncomfortable, if not painful. Letting go makes you vulnerable, but it also creates space for something new. As retrograde energy clouds our path, we might not see results or affirmation of our dedication until the end of the month, when the planets station direct.
Regardless of the energy that obfuscates us, the winter season is truly one of slow and steady growth, and of subtle transformation. Following the Winter Solstice, the days are faithfully growing longer. A sure sign of change on the horizon. Much like us, the rest of nature’s growth is happening out of sight. Signaled by the growing daylight, life awakens underground. Plants ready their patience, nutrients, and habits of transformation so that they may demonstrate their success in full bloom come spring. Expansion is all around us.
I asked the tarot deck for gentle guidance through the current. You know that you want to change, you know what you need to do, but you don't know if you have the strength to do it. You do. I asked the tarot deck for the determination to make difficult choices and to rise to meet challenges everyday. The deck gave me The Warrior of Wands. The warrior stands confident and ready to strike. This card is a powerful reminder of the intensity of your willpower. What are you ready to manifest? The Warrior of Wands represents literal and figurative travel, an apt card for a fresh start on your path. Life calls out for you to experience it; for you to live actively and with agency. It is a card that emphasizes the values of pursuing passion, creativity and ideas.
This is only one new beginning among many. Every cycle you move through, you gain greater tools and understandings to strengthen you for the next one. Now is the time to reflect on the experiences that brought you to the present. What parts will you bring with you to the future? Which must you relinquish? Keep going, keep growing, I’m rooting for you.
Love,
labaatan
